The War of Two Queens (Blood and Ash 4)

“Yeah.”

“Poppy will never do something like that. Never,” Kieran said from between clenched teeth with a swipe of his hand. Gods, I couldn’t love the wolven more. His loyalty to our Queen was everything. “Yeah, she’s had her moments—ones you haven’t seen, where she’s…she’s something else. Like when she saw what Isbeth had done to you.”

I had to breathe through the rage. I had to resist picking up one of the daggers and slamming it into the wall of a mortal’s home. Ones who’d done nothing but aid us. I had to get over the guilt.

“But it’s still Poppy,” Kieran said, and shadows crept across his face, quickly disappearing. “Isbeth may have succeeded in creating a powerful god, but she ultimately failed.”

“Agreed.” I went to the table, my movements stiff. “There’s more. I know there is. But my head, man…it’s got these patches of nothing. They’re slow to fill out.” Placing my hands on the table, I leaned over. “I know Millicent said that I needed to stop Poppy. That, soon, I would be the only one.”

“Stop her as in…?” Kieran stiffened, and the change that swept through him was vast and quick. His skin thinned. His eyes turned luminous. “Kill her?”

“Not going to happen,” I reminded him.

“Damn straight, it’s not,” he growled. “Because I’m going to go round up Reaver and let him burn that wannabe Revenant.”

“You really think Poppy will allow that once she knows who Millicent is?” I asked, and Kieran snarled low. “I don’t think Millicent wants Poppy dead. It’s almost like she believes there’s no other way.”

“Because she thinks Poppy’s the Harbinger?”

I nodded.

“She’s not. And I don’t give a fuck about the differences between wanting Poppy dead and thinking there’s no other way,” he fired back. “You telling me there is one?”

My stare met his. “You know damn well if she proves to be a threat to Poppy, I will hand-deliver her to Reaver. I’d rather have Poppy’s hate than see her harmed.”

Kieran sat back, his fingers tense on the table. “Poppy will never hate you.”

I snorted. “You underestimate her capacity for feeling strong emotions.”

“Actually, I don’t.” His eyes flicked to mine. “The only thing that drove her close to destroying Solis was her love for you.”

Love.

Isbeth’s taunting words resurfaced from the darkness. I never wanted that weakness.

I straightened.

Love can be weaponized, weakening a…

My heart started pounding.

“What?” Kieran demanded. “What is it?”

“Poppy told me the draken said she hadn’t completed the Culling yet,” I rasped. Millicent had said the same. It was why Isbeth had done all she had. Why she’d taken me in the first place. Why she waited.

“Yeah. So?”

“A god isn’t powerful enough to destroy the realms, Kieran. Isbeth would know that.”

And a god wasn’t powerful enough to do as Millicent claimed, either, to hand Isbeth her revenge against Nyktos.

Kieran opened his mouth, but then his gaze cut to the shielded window. His eyes widened, and I knew that he’d realized the same thing I had. It was impossible, but…

Kieran’s head swiveled back to me. “The mist. She didn’t summon it, Cas. She created the Primal mist.”

Hours later, as the sun crested over the city, I sat in bed beside Poppy, ankles crossed and back against the headboard. She hadn’t woken when I joined her, but she had snuggled close, resting her cheek against my chest.

I hadn’t slept more than an hour—if that. For totally different reasons now. I sat there, toying with the soft strands of Poppy’s hair as she slept. Simply stunned by her. Marveled.

The door cracked open, and Kieran entered. His steps were quiet, careful as he approached the bed. “I hate to do this…”

“I know,” I said, looking down at Poppy. He didn’t want to wake her. Neither did I, but it was necessary. Time wasn’t on our side.

Tucking strands back from her cheek, I bent over and kissed her brow. “Queen,” I called softly, smoothing my thumb along her lower jaw. Poppy’s brows pinched as she wiggled closer. I grinned as Kieran sat on her other side. “Open those beautiful eyes for me.”

Her lashes fluttered and then swept up. Sleep clung to her gaze. Those gray shadows under her eyes were still there, but the silver streaks were bright, piercing the spring green. “Cas.”

A groan rumbled from my chest. “You’re my favorite kind of torture,” I told her, kissing her brow. “Kieran’s here.”

She turned her head slightly, looking over her shoulder. “Hi.”

Kieran smiled at her as he leaned over her hip, bracing his weight with his hand on the bed. His features softened in a way I hadn’t seen from him in a long time. “Morning.”

“Morning?” she repeated, blinking. “I slept that long?”

“It’s okay. You needed the rest, and we couldn’t leave anyway,” I told her, squeezing her shoulder.

“Did you rest?” She glanced back at Kieran. “Did either of you two rest?”